Editorials
EDITORIALS
Ignore LePage politics, get to root of DHHS funding needs
on May 20, 2013, at 5:02 p.m.
A battle of wills and legislative powers took the spotlight Sunday, stirring up a political fire at a time when legislators and Gov. Paul LePage’s administration should instead be focused on fixing the state budget crisis and preventing future cost overruns at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. ...
Maine protects a woman’s right to choose
on May 19, 2013, at 10 a.m.
The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee heard more than six hours of often emotional testimony Thursday about three bills that, despite the earnest intentions of their sponsors, would wrongly elevate government’s role in private decisions women make about their reproductive health. The committee correctly recommended Friday that all three bills ought not ...
EDITORIALS
A better way to help people escape welfare
on May 17, 2013, at 12:30 p.m.
House Speaker Mark Eves’ “Ticket to Work” legislation, LD 1343, is a timely attempt to address the new sense of urgency a 60-month lifetime eligibility limit creates for Maine families who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The bill’s greatest value is that it recognizes that parents seeking public assistance ...
EDITORIALS
Problems at the threshold of Maine energy reform
on May 16, 2013, at 4:31 p.m.
Lawmakers are currently considering an omnibus bill that could give the state new, unprecedented authority within the New England natural gas and electricity markets. The energy bill combines components of 10 other pieces of legislation: It expands the mission of Efficiency Maine Trust and changes how Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative ...
EDITORIALS
Avoiding a self-fulfilling state shutdown
on May 15, 2013, at 10:54 a.m.
Gov. Paul LePage and the state employees union are contributing to what’s becoming a toxic environment in Augusta. The negative, distrustful atmosphere will only increase the chance of a potential shutdown of state government in July. Right now legislators need help, not distractions, in crafting a 2014-15 budget that will ...
EDITORIALS
Panhandlers must abide by general assistance rules
on May 14, 2013, at 11:02 a.m.
By identifying panhandlers who apply for general assistance benefits, the city of Bangor is helping to maintain the integrity of the relief program for those who need it. People should not want general assistance. It is immediate aid for those who are unable to provide basic necessities for themselves or ...
EDITORIALS
Redirecting Maine’s wind energy policy
on May 13, 2013, at 11:59 a.m.
We agree with Patrick Woodcock, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, that it’s time for a comprehensive review and update of Maine’s wind energy policy. Five years have passed since former Gov. John Baldacci’s task force aggressively shepherded the Maine Wind Energy Act into law. The knowledge accumulated during that ...
EDITORIALS
A fair deal for raw milk
on May 12, 2013, at 1:48 p.m.
Mainers have been buying food, including raw milk, directly from local farmers for generations. It’s a practice worth preserving. Direct farmer-to-buyer sales are part of the state’s heritage, but conflicts between Department of Agriculture officials entrusted with protecting the safety of Maine’s food supply and local “food sovereignty” advocates have ...
EDITORIALS
The promise of tax reform
on May 10, 2013, at 4:43 p.m.
On May 1, a group of 11 Maine legislators unveiled the fourth significant tax reform plan of the last decade. It would be unusual for a proposal as sweeping as this not to have major flaws, which it does. But, at its heart, it is a sincere, intelligent attempt to ...
EDITORIALS
LePage’s education credibility problem
on May 09, 2013, at 3:42 p.m.
The Maine Department of Education’s announcement Wednesday about its plans to help schools improve didn’t get as much statewide attention as its revelation last week of A to F grades for schools under a new performance grading system. Gov. Paul LePage wasn’t at this week’s news conference, which was held ...
EDITORIALS
A sticking point: Reject ‘vaccinations disclosure’ bill
on May 08, 2013, at 12:59 p.m.
Some parents want to know the individual ingredients used to vaccinate their children, and that information is readily available online or from a local doctor. But requiring doctors and their staff to disclose the information to parents before they agree to have their children immunized is not necessary, wouldn’t be ...
What you can do for Lewiston
on May 07, 2013, at 11:59 a.m.
Maine’s population is about the size of single cities in other states. Everyone seems connected in some way. It’s difficult to eat at a restaurant without knowing someone at the next table. People help their neighbors. And when people in one part of Maine are hurting, the state responds. An ...
EDITORIALS
Grading LePage’s policies on ‘putting kids first’
on May 06, 2013, at 10:55 a.m.
Gov. Paul LePage justified ranking Maine schools’ performance with letter grades by asserting that, “We need to put our kids first … The only way that we can assure that happens is to look at ourselves and be critical of that performance if we’re not top-notch.” We believe it’s fair ...
EDITORIALS
‘Religious freedom’ bill would burden Maine
on May 05, 2013, at 12:10 p.m.
An unnecessary and rather alarming bill will be debated at the Maine Legislature this week. LD 1428, An Act to Protect Religious Freedom, would let a person — defined as “an individual, corporate body or religious organization” — claim that a law or regulation burdens a religious practice and sue ...
EDITORIAL
Why LePage’s grading system for schools is flawed
on May 03, 2013, at 2:07 p.m.
School administrators, lawmakers and academics have argued for years about how best to measure academic achievement, and Gov. Paul LePage jumped headlong into the debate Wednesday when he announced grades for Maine schools under a new ranking system. Of course it’s important to know how schools and students are performing ...
EDITORIALS
How a gay pro athlete could help change workplace law
on May 02, 2013, at 1:36 p.m.
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” With those words that open an essay appearing in the May 6 edition of Sports Illustrated, Jason Collins broke through a barrier that has for too long separated America’s major professional sports leagues from other elements of society. Collins becomes ...
EDITORIALS
Grading system for Maine schools is uncompassionate, unreliable
on May 01, 2013, at 2:04 p.m.
It is incredibly important for Maine schools to be open about how their students perform academically and to use that data to pinpoint where they can improve. But distilling a school’s performance into a letter grade, as Gov. Paul LePage has done with a new report card system for public ...
EDITORIALS
Ironic politics in Maine hospital debt debate
on April 30, 2013, at 12:04 p.m.
Maine’s continuing hospital debt dispute demonstrates the often befuddling, contradictory political process of creating legislation. But the latest twist might just provide the political cover Gov. Paul LePage needs to allow Medicaid expansion to go forward. Think of what could have been accomplished if it had been politically possible for ...
A simple way to improve Maine’s health care delivery
on April 29, 2013, at 2:23 p.m.
Maine officials and health care professionals know of ways to make the delivery of health care more efficient and reduce costs, but political agreement is difficult. One preventive approach, however — where health care providers focus on the underlying reason for an illness instead of only treating the illness — ...
EDITORIALS
Samantha Smith’s message still matters
on April 28, 2013, at 12:37 p.m.
Friday marked the 30th anniversary of a correspondence that focused the world’s attention on Samantha Smith, a fifth-grader from Manchester, Maine, who in eight sentences placed the folly of stockpiling nuclear warheads in human perspective. It’s a good time to honor her straightforward approach to diplomacy and her ability to ...
Items found, authorities pursuing leads in search for Glenburn teen
Silenced by legislators at budget talks, LePage says Mainers are being played for ‘patsies’
Family of third plane crash victim puts Knox County on notice
Hampden firm pokes holes in traditional boat mooring, leaving room for lobsters, crabs and other sea life
Jeffrey Nugent says his brother Ted Nugent is wrong on background checks
Ignore LePage politics, get to root of DHHS funding needs
